Electronic controllers are used to operate, control and/or monitor a wide variety of different devices, appliances and equipment. Some electronic controllers may include electronic components that generate heat when in operation. As electronic controllers frequently include a housing in which the individual electronic components are located, a temperature that is measured within the housing may be greater than the temperature outside the housing. This internal heat generation may or may not be an issue, depending on the specific use of the electronic controller.
An example of an electronic controller that may exhibit internal heating as a result of power dissipation in internal electronic components, and that may be sensitive to such internal heating, is a thermostat. Thermostats are often used to control a wide variety of equipment, such as furnaces, air conditioners, air exchangers, humidifiers and the like.
Thermostats often provide commands to HVAC equipment in accordance with one or more set points, such as temperature and/or humidity set points. These commands may include, for example, instructions for a furnace to turn on or off, an air conditioning unit to turn on or off, a humidifier and/or dehumidifier to turn on or off, or the like.
For controlling temperature, a thermostat may provide commands that are based on a perceived temperature difference between a current temperature set point and a measured temperature. However, the measured temperature is often the temperature inside of the thermostat housing, which is subject to the internal heating as discussed above, and not the temperature in the surrounding space. Likewise, for controlling humidity, a thermostat may provide commands that are based on a perceived humidity difference between a current humidity set point and a measured humidity value. The measured humidity, however, is often the relative humidity inside of the thermostat housing, which is subject to internal heating as discussed above, and not the relative humidity in the surrounding space. As can be seen, such internal heating can create inaccuracies in how the thermostat provides instructions to the HVAC equipment.